


Consolation

by krikkiter68



Category: The Thick of It (TV)
Genre: Anger, Betrayal, Disappointment, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Multi, Post-Series, Reminiscing, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-19
Updated: 2015-08-19
Packaged: 2018-04-15 12:16:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4606443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/krikkiter68/pseuds/krikkiter68
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Glenn Cullen looks back at his career at DoSAC and concludes it wasn't a complete waste of time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Consolation

**Author's Note:**

> Contains spoilers for entire series. 
> 
> The encounter with Ollie on the doorstep is a crossover with the final chapter of "The Morning After", an earlier and VERY much ruder story of mine.
> 
> Thanks to lackingcortexiphan for the inspiring prompt! :)

The unnerving zing of the doorbell shattered the peace of Glenn's living room. Sighing, he roused his tracksuited figure from the couch, turned down the quiet, melodic strains of Debussy on the stereo and padded off on navy-socked feet to answer the door.

Bright sunlight, a tall figure, spectacles, a familiar shock of dark curls, earnestness.

"Glenn, mate. Listen, I've just come round to say sorry for dropping you in it at the Inquiry. I, I don't know why I did it, I just panicked - "

Glenn slammed the door shut and stomped back to the living room, turning up the stereo and drowning  
out Ollie's increasingly faint pleading before lying back down on the sofa.

Jesus Christ, he thought. Bloody friends, bloody colleagues, they all let you down in the end.

Resigned, he reached for the glass of whiskey on the bookshelf - he didn't drink much but sod it, the foul mood he was in required it. He closed his eyes, letting his mind drift.

Student days, Hugh Abbot with his boyish grin, standing with him on the fire escape behind their rented house, the two of them in their Oxfam suits, smoking and laughing, not a care in the world. Rising in the political hemisphere, Glenn driving a tipsy Hugh back to his flat, his terraced cottage, his  
smart suburban semi. A photo of them during Hugh's wedding, arms over each other's shoulders,now relegated to the bottom of Glenn's rolltop desk.

He gazed up at the ceiling, feeling the whiskey burning a small, sour trail to his stomach. That awful, endless night when he'd railed against his oldest friend, his betrayal, ingratitude and sheer bloody spinelessness. And Malcolm - Malcolm bloody Tucker! - looking at him with nothing but sympathy.

He shuddered, and took another sip of whiskey. Moving on, he thought. Nicola Murray. Poor Nicola. He'd liked her at first - fancied her too, to be honest, so a complete change from Hugh there. Not that he ever stood a chance with her, dreadful husband or not. If only she'd taken him to that press conference. He'd never have let her stand in front of the Liam Bentley poster. He sighed. Maybe I was unfair to blame her for ruining my chances of election, he thought. Maybe I never had a chance there, either.

"I am strangely really proud of you!"

Glenn rolled his eyes at the memory. He'd been fond of Ollie, felt protective of him when he'd first tottered into DoSAC looking like an ungainly newborn lamb. He was a youngster who'd had an early taste of power and became drunk on it. Easily led, thinking with his dick, perfect prey for Malcolm. He remembered standing with Hugh, back when Hugh needed him, watching Ollie giggle and preen in front of Dan Miller. And now he's slept his way to the top, Glenn mused, I hope he's happy. Although come to think of it, he didn't look that happy just now.

"Darling?"

Glenn looked up to see Robyn gazing down at him, her brow furrowed with concern. He smiled up at her: he was terribly glad she was there.

"Are you all right?"

"Never better," he said, sitting up. She sat down next to him and he embraced her, burying his face in her blonde hair.

Career over, disappointed, betrayed, but not broken, never broken, because she was there for him, and that was all he wanted.

THE END


End file.
